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DJ Mbenga suffers possible concussion - The Orange County Register
[Another sign that the Lakers are falling apart.] The Lakers’ depth took another hit when backup center DJ Mbenga suffered a possible concussion Friday in practice. Mbenga was sent to a neurologist for testing. It was initially believed an elbow from Andrew Bynum hurt Mbenga, but Bynum said he wasn’t even on the floor at the time of the injury.

Bynum and Lamar Odom were both with the Lakers’ first team for the scrimmage against what amounted to an Oklahoma City scout team with Adam Morrison playing the role of star Thunder small forward Kevin Durant. Hey, they were both college superstars, right? (I guess the only other option would’ve been Luke Walton.)

The rest of that unit had Jordan Farmar as fellow ex-Bruin Russell Westbrook, Shannon Brown as long-armed Thabo Sefolosha, Josh Powell about the same frame as Jeff Green and Mbenga as presumably Nenad Krstic … although Mbenga naturally should be Serge Ibaka’s twin given they are both Congolese. [How is this supposed to make sense?]

The scout team actually won the first scrimmage before the Lakers’ starters came back in the next game. [The cheap knock off OKC clone team won a scrimmage? Do you need another reason to believe we can win?]

2010 NBA Playoffs: Phil Jackson unsure why Kevin Durant was upset by words - ESPN Los Angeles
[Jackson plays with KD's mind further. By laying an "Oh, did I upset you?" on Durant.] "You can't do that anymore in the NBA," Jackson said. "They don't allow you to do that. I guess it was last year, I wasn't aware that the rules have changed, but they tell me that last year they stopped letting coaches spin. You have to be very honest and straightforward and never have any spin with what you say. "I think we can get to be robotic like that. You guys would probably enjoy us just having stock answers to give to you, 'Everybody played and they played hard.' Things like that."

Jackson's most recent $35,000 fee came as a result of his statement about Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, saying that the "referees are treating [Durant] like a superstar." Before the Lakers' game against Sacramento on Tuesday, Jackson was asked about Durant, who led the league in scoring and free-throw attempts per game (10.2) in only his third season in the league. "As far as the calls that he gets on the floor, I think a lot of the referees are treating him like a superstar; he gets to the line easy and often," Jackson said. "He's got the ability to create fouls. That's a big part of scoring, to get to the foul line."

NBA.com: OKC's Durant named Player of Month for April
[Player of the Month? How about MVP or at least MIP.] Durant led the league in scoring (34.6 ppg) and added 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists 2.0 steals and 1.6 blocks. On April 3, Durant recorded 23 points, five assists, five rebounds and five steals, leading Oklahoma City to a win at Dallas and the team's first playoff berth since 2005. Durant followed up that performance with 40 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in a win over Minnesota the following night. Durant, who became the youngest player ever to lead the NBA in scoring (30.1 ppg), had a streak of seven consecutive 30-point games to end the season.